The Love Espresso
by Yamaguchi28
Summary: On the day you turn 18, everyone is given the first words that their soulmate will speak to them. When Naruto received his, it said, "Welcome to Starbucks, Dobe. What do you want?" NaruSasuNaru
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto.

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CHAPTER 1

The shadows of the night hid my movements from vultures peering out the window. That's what I call them, vultures. They were always watching me from inside the shop, waiting for me to make a move so they can attack. I narrowed my eyes at the neon sign that lit up a dark green and blinding white.

 _Starbucks_.

I could hear laughter from a group of people coming down the street. I put on my shades and lifted my black hood over my head. Now's my chance to finally get in. I waited until the group passed me to come behind them and blend in. The group crossed the street and I stayed close behind them. I didn't know these people but I do know that they come and eat at Starbucks every evening at 7:00 pm. I wasn't here to make friends; I didn't need any of those. I was here to use them in order to gain access to the smelly coffee shop. It is open to the public but I've been banned from ever stepping foot in there. Why? It started when I turned eighteen.

The perverted guardian of mine came into my room on the morning of my birthday to give me breakfast in bed. This was a special day in the lives of people nationwide, after all, such luxuries were a given. "Happy Birthday, Naruto," he wished me. On the tray sat a plate of waffles, a glass of orange juice, and a small envelope with my name on it. I took the tray from him with a thank you and he left the room. I didn't even get a chance to eat the breakfast because I was too worried about the envelope. No, actually, I was worried about what was _in_ the envelope.

I picked it up and slowly ripped the sides, careful not to damage the content. I took out the notecard and closed my eyes before I could look at the writing. This was it, wasn't it. Today, on my eighteenth birthday, I will find out the first words that will be spoken to me by my soulmate. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

 _"_ _Welcome to Starbucks, Dobe. What do you want?"_

I frowned and read the note again. And again, and again, and again. Was this some kind of joke?

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A/N: Let me know what you think. Reviews are the bomb!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

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CHAPTER 2

The streets of New York City were surprisingly calm this late Thursday morning. The weather was nice despite it being early in October. And it was possibly thousands of eighteenth birthdays today, which meant thousands of people got the first clue to whom their soulmate might be. However, in a loft where a certain blond, birthday boy resided, it wasn't too peaceful. The cry of distress could be heard three blocks away followed by loud, heavy stomps. The white-haired man, who delivered the special message to the birthday boy, hadn't made it all the way down the steps yet before he was bombarded.

"Where is it? Give it to me!" Naruto insisted as he patted the man down.

"What are you talking about, kid?" Jiraiya chuckled.

Naruto grunted before holding his special note out in front of Jiraiya's face. "I know this is your way of punishing me for staying out too late last night. Now, where is the real one?"

Jiraiya frowned at him and pushed his hand away. "Naruto, you know you aren't supposed to allow others to read it. If you do, the note can become either invalid or the words will disappear."

Naruto sighed to bring it down a notch. What kind of special note was this supposed to be? He had to wait eighteen years to find out his soulmate's words and this was it? He was more than sure that the perv had a hand in making this note.

"Fine, don't give it to me," he pouted. It didn't even matter; Jiraiya could keep it. He wasn't too interested in love anyways. He was young, good-looking (if he said so himself), and had an outstanding personality. It wouldn't be too hard for him to find someone he really liked. Although, having the real words was more a reliable source than for him to go out searching.

"Go get dressed, will ya? The polka dot boxers and mix-matched socks isn't really a look for your eighteenth," Jiraiya ruffled Naruto's hair. "How about tonight I take you out for your first drink? You can bring a friend if you'd like."

Naruto's mood instantly lightened. It wasn't like he could stay mad for that long. "Deal!"

Jiraiya gathered his belongings and put his shoes on at the front door. "I picked up your mail and left it on the kitchen counter. Later."

Mouth open in amazement, the blond skipped to the other side of the staircase as soon as the door shut with a click. He sorted through the mail, not looking at who they were from until he came to a blank one with a toad sticker. He opened it and took out its contents, this time, happier with the results. It was filled with one hundred dollar bills and a note.

" _Buy yourself something pretty_ "

 _-Not the pervert…the super pervert!_

Naruto couldn't contain his excitement as he did a happy jig. He really loved that man sometimes. Jiraiya had been Naruto's guardian since he was two months and Naruto never knew his parents. They were addicts or something and Jiraiya, being Naruto's father's mentor at the time, refused to have Naruto raised in that life. He'd legally won full custody of Naruto to prevent him being thrown around foster care. Jiraiya even wanted to change Naruto's last name but apparently, Naruto's mother begged Jiraiya to keep it as Uzumaki.

It didn't bother Naruto now as it used to when he was a kid, not having a real mother or father. But that was behind him and he saw the old pervert as his father even if it wasn't by blood. He had taken care of him as best he could, which wasn't that hard considering the financial situations. Jiraiya was a famous writer whose books were loved by all. Naruto thought the books were trash but they were paying for this loft that he lived in so he didn't complain much.

A couple of months ago, the blond graduated from high school but instead of going straight to college he had something else in mind. Inspired by his old perv, he developed a passion for writing ranging from poetry to novels. Naruto's aspiration was also to become a writer with works aimed at the young adult audience. So, he asked Jiraiya to help him with his dream and then he'd go to school for his degrees. Of course, Jiraiya couldn't resist his favorite person in the world and when Naruto got the money from publishings, he'd pay him back. It wasn't like Jiraiya would suffer from losing that amount of money but Naruto wanted to feel as if he earned the money, not asked for it.

Naruto put the note back in the envelope and took it with him up the stairs to his bedroom. He went over to his dresser where his smartphone was and checked his notifications. There were texts and a couple of voicemails from his high school friends, all of them wishing him a happy birthday. Unlike him, it was either go to a university or die for them hence they were all off pursuing their own careers in different states. Most of the texts were from his closest friend Sakura Haruno.

 _Happy birthday, idiot!_

 _I was the first to wish you a happy birthday, right?_

 _Of course, I was, I'm your best friend, duh._

 _I'm not getting you shit for your birthday, you already know that haha._

 _Now that I think about it_ is _one of your most important birthdays so I could have a change of heart._

 _You know what that means, yes? I'm coming home to visit you, surprise! We're celebrating this whole weekend. I took the subway early so I should be there in a few._

Sakura had been the only one of his friends really keeping him updated on their college life. She'd come out of her shell a lot since senior year and he thought that the social experience of freshman year did her some good. He hadn't seen her since and was ecstatic to hear that she was coming home just to visit him on his birthday.

 _Thanks, Sakura-chan! That means a lot. Let me know when you get here and I'll pick you up._

He sent the text and stretched his arms above his head. Time for a shower and then he'll plan his weekend.

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A/N: Reviews are the bomb!

You guys wanted me to continue it, so I am. I should mention that I will probably be doing 1,000-word chapters only because I want to update every week. Hopefully, I can keep up with the deadlines.

Sidenote: I love the new readers, you guys are great!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

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CHAPTER 3

The blond was sitting on a metal bench waiting for Sakura's train to arrive at 2:45 pm. He looked down at his wrist watch then up at the clock hanging on the concrete pillar. He would either be waiting ten more minutes or the train came five minutes ago. The station was crowded with tourists and city folk. Good thing, the person he was waiting for could easily be spotted a mile away. Naruto heard the echoes of an engine and lights flicker across the dark tunnel. He shot Sakura an "I'm here" text before switching through his social media apps.

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Huh?" he looked up. It was a small, old lady dressed in raggedy clothes and carried plastic bags.

"Do you have any change to spare?" she asked with a trembling voice.

Feeling bad, he took out his wallet and searched for a $10 bill. "Ma'am."

The woman took the money and gave him a puzzled look. "This all you got?" she asked, the trembling in her voice gone.

Naruto raised a brow and put his wallet back into his pocket. "Uh, I'm sorry?"

"You got that 'axe-tent'. Must be China or somethin'. Lookie here, in America of the United States, we give people like me as much money as possible," the lady demanded before holding out her hand.

He was confused but at the same time, shocked at how bold this lady was being. Homeless people were getting assertive nowadays.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Actually, I am Japanese and my English is perfectly fine, _granny_. I don't know what rules there are in America of the United States but in the United States of America, beggars can't be choosers."

The lady looked shocked and put a hand over her chest. "Didn't your mama tell you to respect the old folks?"

He let out a laugh and stood, "And didn't your mom tell you to be grateful for the things you get?"

Quickly, he walked away hoping the woman wouldn't follow him.

 _Tell your grandma to stop asking me for money lol_

He sent out another text to Sakura then looked around for her. People were clearing out and she was nowhere to be found. Was that not the right train?

"Excuse me, sir?"

He flinched and turned around ready to scold the old hag again, but instead, "Sakura-chan!" he marveled, shifting back to his native tongue.

"Hey, Naruto," she giggled.

"What's that?" he asked, noticing she was hiding something behind her back.

"Oh this?" she presented a pot wrapped in see through paper. "I got you a rose. I know how much you like plants, happy birthday." She smiled proudly.

He took the gift from her and brought her in for a hug "This is great, thanks."

"This why you couldn't give me money, I see now," the voice of the homeless lady from behind them spoke. "She's the man in the relationship and makes more money."

The two friends exchanged glances.

"She has to be. She givin' you flowers and such."

Naruto frowned, "Wow, ok, it's time to go." He led Sakura out and the two of them got into his car.

"You look nice today, Naruto. Glad to see you've been keeping note of the fashion tips I give you", Sakura complimented with a smirk.

The birthday boy was wearing a white and blue plaid collared long sleeve under a steel sweater. He had on skinny indigo slacks, brown boats, and his hair fell in its usual unruly spikes.

"I try and so do you," he smiled. "Have you eaten?"

She shook her head. "How's the writing coming?"

He tilted his head and exhaled, "Right now, I uh don't have anything. Writer's block, ya know. How's Notre Dame? Tell me again what your major is?"

"Pre-med, of course. And it's pretty nice, though I can't stand my roommate. She's such a bitch, I want to stab her in her sleep," she huffed. "Sometimes, I wish that I had gone to Stanford instead."

"What's there?"

"Ino-pig. She said just because she's on the other side of the country doesn't mean that I can replace her."

"That's funny because Shikamaru told me the same thing before he left for Duke," said Naruto.

Their clique was very tight back in high school, which was saying a lot considering how there were twelve of them. They always had one another's back no matter how many times they would argue. Many were amazed that the graduation dome wasn't flooded with tears because of how much they all cried. They realized that they wouldn't be together anymore. They promised at the first break that the group would meet up again in any city and celebrate the whole day.

"Well…where is it?" she pondered.

Naruto sped up when the traffic light changed to yellow. "Where's what?"

"Your special note. You haven't mentioned it yet, have you gotten it?"

"It wasn't all that special," he chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well of course it is, Naruto. It may not be as extravagant as a piece of jewelry but it's something more sentimental. You're getting the first clue to who your soulmate is!" Sakura put both her hands on her chest and sighed. "It's so romantic."

The blond groaned in response. "I guess so. Can I ask you something? How does this process work exactly? I don't really understand how to go about finding a soulmate or whatnot."

"Hmm let's see," she pushed a couple pink strands behind her ear. "I'm sure that you already know that no one else is supposed to read it, nor are you supposed to tell anyone what it says."

He nodded in agreement as he pulled up in front of a pizzeria and turned off the car. "We can dine in, so I can pay more attention to what you're saying."

The two got out and headed toward the entrance but before they could get in, Sakura elbowed Naruto's side. " _Ow_! Why did you do that?" Naruto was tempted to hit her back.

"I just got your text, idiot," Sakura scoffed before laughing under her breath.

Naruto stuck his tongue out at her and she stuck hers out back while pulling her bottom eyelid down.

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A/N: Reviews are the bomb!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

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CHAPTER 4

"Did you want to get today's special with the stuffed crust?" Sakura asked, examining the menu.

"Do you think they have narutomaki flavored crust?" Naruto took a sip of his water.

"Ew, you're kidding," she replied with disgust. "Ooh, look. They have a rocky road pizza for desert, I want that one, too."

The waiter arrived with their previously ordered drinks and he took down what they wanted to eat. He took their menus from them and left with a wide smile. Sakura chuckled after he was out of earshot.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, placing a plastic straw into his cup.

"That waiter, he was um…a bit forward," she smirked.

Naruto looked in the direction the waiter left and back at his best friend. "What do you mean?"

She cleared her throat and leaned in, "What happened when he took your menu?"

"He took yours?" he guessed.

"Err, wrong. He brushed his fingers against your hand. Tell me you didn't feel or see that?" She tilted her head.

The blank stare was enough to convince her.

"You're so oblivious sometimes, Naruto. He was clearly into you."

He frowned, "Sakura-chan, what are you talking about? I think you have the wrong idea. And if he was checking me out, so does he."

"Just know that that big smile wasn't for me," she put her hands up, surrendering. "I'm only kidding, little ugly. Don't rip my head off."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Anyways, finish telling me about the card."

She placed a straw in her cup and took a sip before explaining.

"Ok, listen closely. It's imperative that you don't let anyone look at your card. The only person who can break that rule is your soulmate. It's a big possibility that if someone who isn't your soulmate reads it, the card will be void. I've seen both cases in which someone did look at someone else's card and it either voided or was fine. But why take the risk?"

Naruto nodded, "Right."

"If you meet your soulmate, and they say the special words, they won't know that they are your soulmate until you tell them. They can't tell just by looking at you. You are guaranteed to meet that person in 3 year's time or less, emphasis on the less, regardless of age difference. Umm…"

"Wait, wait a sec," Naruto chimed in. "What if, I don't know, three months go by and I still haven't met the girl. How am I supposed to remember what the card said? I mean, I'll probably be really busy these next couple of months. I don't wanna meet someone and not remember if they're fated to me."

"You don't have to worry about that. Your soulmate's first words aren't something you could really forget," Sakura answered, swirling her drink around with the straw.

"Come on, you know me. I can't even remember what I had for dinner last night," he shrugged.

"No, you misunderstand, you literally _cannot_ forget the words. I'm not sure what it is, but it's almost like a mind trick situation. When you first open the card, you automatically say it aloud, right? In the future, when someone says it back to you, it triggers that memory. It's weird but it makes sense, I guess. As I said, I'm not really sure how it works."

"Hmm," Naruto frowned. "Oh, and uhh, that last thing you said about the age difference. That's a situation that could go left really quickly, don'tcha think?"

"Oops! I meant to add in, the age difference can be up to three years apart. Sorry about that."

The waiter came back with two trays in his hands and laid them on the table. Naruto kept his hands in his lap to avoid unnecessary physical contact, while Sakura drooled over the dessert pizza. "Enjoy," he smiled and looked at Naruto. "I made sure the pizza was extra _hot_ and _ready_ for you, sir."

Naruto raised both of his brows at the seemingly nice gesture. "Uh thank you?"

"Anytime, sir…or place _,_ " the waiter said in a low tone and left.

Naruto's mouth opened in astonishment as he his eyes followed the man.

"I didn't know your boyfriend worked here. Do we get a discount on the pizza then?" Sakura was lightly hitting the table as she burst out into giggles. He took a few of the pizza toppings and flicked it at her. "Ok, ok I take it back."

After the meal, Sakura asked Naruto if he could take her shopping for a couple of outfits. She was determined to make this weekend one of the best that he's ever had. It was her job as his best friend, she explained her logic to him, but she couldn't do it looking like a trash bag. Naruto wasn't really the party type, in his opinion. He could stay at home, throw on a movie with snacks, and have a good conversation between three or four friends. It was inexpensive, comfortable, and he could use that time to grow a stronger bond with his precious people. That beats being in a congested night club full of sweaty strangers grinding on you any day.

He and, a close friend from high school, Kiba did their fair share of sneaking into a 21 and up club many nights. Being danced on by pretty girls in pretty clothes was fascinating at first but it got real old, real soon. It was pointless in them buying alcohol because they were overpriced and Kiba despised the smell. Naruto was paranoid that the bartender would spike his drink as punishment for sneaking into the club, so he never tasted any.

At any rate, he knew how much Sakura enjoyed doing stuff for him like an older sister would. Something about, her (and pervy Jiraiya) being the only family he needed since his real one couldn't be there. In some situations, the pinkette was very unsure of herself, however, when it came to Naruto, it was always a different story.

" _Maybe I can't stop the downpour, but I will always join you for a walk in the rain_."

He will never forget her words.

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A/N: Reviews are the bomb!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

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CHAPTER 5

"I'm going to buy this one, this one, and these shoes," Sakura threw the heap of clothes on Naruto. "Did you want to match, or at least wear the same colors?"

"We could wear the same colors, it doesn't matter," he struggled to keep the outfits from dragging on the floor. "You're not going to buy all of these, are you?"

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror, posing at different angles. "Since this is a darker blue, almost grey, I'm going to go with this dress. We're still matching, for the most part, I just don't want that lighter blue to clash with my hair."

Naruto took a peep at his watch and saw that it was a bit past five. What time did pervy Jiraiya want him be ready? "We've been to three stores already, so this is the last one. We need to get home soon, you know," he said.

"Should I wear panties or no panties, with this?" Sakura asked, in her own zone. She had even put on a pair of heels.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Huh? Ok, I'm done. Let me change and then we can go," she hurried back into the dressing room.

Naruto walked through the door of his home and set the shopping bags off to the side. Sakura came in next only holding the rose plant.

"You leave your door unlocked? How safe is that?" she removed her shoes.

"No, the welcome mat is pushed slightly to the right. That lets me know to come in because Jiraiya is here," He ran a hand through his tresses, taking the pot from her. "You can use my bathroom upstairs to get ready. Don't ask why, but I have a blow dryer in the closet, you can also use."

Naruto removed his own shoes, replacing them with house slippers and walked to the kitchen. Just as expected, the perv was lip locked with a random woman that he probably picked up at a bar. The one he had attached to his hip yesterday was taller with shorter hair. Jiraiya was dressed in a long sleeve white shirt, black tie and black vest. The woman was dressed a little too scandalously for her to be going out for a birthday celebration.

"Am I interrupting something?" the blond cleared his throat.

"Hey, kid," Jiraiya greeted happily. "This here is umm…well anyways, I reserved a booth for us at Chakra Point down on fifth. Are you excited? You might get lucky and get a girl tonight."

Naruto shook his head, "Don't hold your breath," as he set the pot down on the counter. "Sakura made a surprise visit for me and she'll be staying here for the weekend. Looks like you gotta sleep in your own home," he smirked.

"I thought this was your home," the woman asked Jiraiya.

"Oh don't worry sweetheart, mine is way bigger," the perv chuckled. "I'm the one who paid for Sakura's train ticket, Naruto. When I said that you could bring a friend tonight, that's who I was talking about."

"Really? How sweet of you," Naruto replied with sarcasm. "What do you want?"

The white haired-man began poking the woman's breast, through her dress. "Oh, just one tiny little thing is all. My literary agent is out because of some family problems and I've written five chapters of my next novel."

"Oh no," the blond flinched. "Don't even think about it."

"Who else other than my little protégé shall I have the honor of bestowing this upon?" he grinned.

"No way!"

"Come on, kid! It's five measly chapters. Just tell me what you think and make some corrections here and there," the perv pleaded.

"Huh? What was that?" Naruto looked over his shoulder. "I think I heard Sakura call me…"

Naruto stepped back and sped up the stairs. He'd rather go a month eating off brand ramen than read Jiraiya's manuscripts. It's not like Perv takes his input into consideration, anyways, because he continues to write the books in the first place. He shook his head.

Speaking of writing…

The first thing on the second floor, before the bedroom, is an open office-like area used as a study. A bookcase against the wall, a desk in front of it, and a standup Bluetooth speaker. The desk was filled with all things a promising writer would need to be productive, courtesy of Jiraiya. Plus, some relaxing music playing in the background. As constructive as it may seem, a certain birthday boy hasn't sat in the desk chair in two whole weeks. He took in the view, sighed, and continued to the bedroom.

He knocked twice, before entering and flopped down backwards on the bed.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura-chan," he whined.

She was standing in bathroom door wearing his robe, makeup halfway done. "I have a new name, and that's not it."

"Sakura-chan," he whispered.

"What," she whispered, turning her back to him to continuing to apply.

"You were in cahoots with the perv. Traitor!" he accused.

"I've committed a sin worthy of death! It was in favor of my dearest friend, however," she defended. "I meant to ask you, why do you have writer's block? When we were in high school, you wouldn't go anywhere with me until you finished a chapter, stanza, etc."

He pulled a pillow over his face and groaned.

"Tell me or else there'll be consequences," she warned in a sing-song voice.

The blond was silent under the pillow. She set her product on the sink, took two steps and jumped on the bed. She put her hands on each side of the pillow and pushed down, ignoring his small muffles. He tried to push her away at first but let up and allowed himself to killed.

Sakura slowly lifted the pillow and gave him a concerning look. "Best friend. What it is?"

"Nothing," he replied.

She smacked him with the pillow. "Wrong answer. What's the matter?"

"Stop it, I'm fine," he shrugged.

"Wrong answer," another smack to the face. "Why don't you want to tell me?"

He sat up and scratched the back of his head. He had no problem telling Sakura anything, it was just that he didn't want her to make it a big deal. He himself was still in denial about it and didn't exactly want to say it out loud.

"Something happened a while back and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's been on my mind when I'm not keeping myself busy," he confessed.

She hugged the pillow to her chest and sat back on her legs. "Perhaps, if you told me then I can help you carry some of the burden. Or am I pushing it?"

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and leaned back on the bed. "I think I..."

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A/N: Reviews are the bomb!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

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CHAPTER 6

"I think I met someone important."

Sakura moved her eyes to the side and then back to her friend. "Someone like a girl?"

"Something like that," he said shortly.

"Can I ask why this person has been on your mind, lately?" Sakura inquired.

He didn't answer but shrugged instead.

Sakura unnoticeably gasped as she was about to say something but let the thought die on her tongue instead. She gently placed the pillow over his face and continued to get ready for the night out.

The traffic was completely ridiculous. For some odd reason, everyone decided to go out at the same time, on the same night. Jiraiya thought it would be best if they didn't drive and hailed a taxi cab. The trio, plus the random woman, were waiting to get down to fifth for 20 minutes now. Naruto was getting impatient and fidgety, Sakura was on her smartphone, and the woman was whispering indecencies into the Perv's ear.

"Say, Sakura. You and Naruto look great together with the color coordination, I meant to mention it earlier. Would this, I don't know, be a first date? He would be lucky to have someone like you," the white-haired man urged.

"Please don't start…" Naruto mumbled as he rolled the window down a bit.

"Give it up, Gramps. You've been saying that since we were in grade school," Sakura smiled. "We're just friends, you know that."

He put his hands up in surrender, "Hey."

The taxi cab finally arrived at Chakra Point and snagged a quick spot on the curb to let them out. After confirming Jiraiya's name, a hostess, followed by a waitress, led them to the correct booth and they all sat. They went through the standard ordering and welcoming process as well as the waitress secretly affirming that it was Naruto's birthday.

"We need a picture," Sakura said as she passed the woman her phone. "Do you mind? Gramps, come to my side and get in it."

"Aww, we look so cute!" She squealed.

Naruto looked around admiring his surroundings. "How did you manage to get a table here? It's always super busy and not to mention expensive."

"Don't you know who am I?" Jiraiya winked in response.

"Cheeky old man," Naruto mumbled to Sakura.

Not much longer, the waitress along with a few of her co-workers came to their table. They had food, two bottles of something special, and a slice of a desert. The classical music playing in the background changed to something more upbeat and got louder. The waitress stuck a sparkler on the desert, lit it, and placed it in front of the Naruto. On the beat, the staff broke out in a happy birthday song while two of them did a little jig. Naruto turned a bit pink and grinned at all the attention while Sakura put the whole thing on her social media.

"Thanks, you guys," Jiraiya said to the staff when they finished. "I need four glasses please and feel free to leave the bottle." He turned to the kids, "Eat up, you can't drink on an empty stomach."

Warmth. A small warmth settled in his belly and not because of the hot, delicious food. He turned to Sakura. Whoa! He turned too fast. She sipped from her cup and smiled at him. The blond felt relaxed and content. He turned to Jiraiya and flashed his teeth.

"How is it, kid?" Jiraiya inquired. "You're halfway through the third one. Keep it up and I'd have to grab that other bottle."

"It's absolutely disgusting," he answered. "But I feel like I'm in the matrix. Watch me move slow- mo."

Sakura laughed and pinched Naruto's cheek. "Looks like we got a lightweight over here, Gramps."

"That's what I'm thinking," he chuckled. "Drink a bit of your water, Naruto." The perv filled his own cup up a bit more and stood up. "Excuse me, everyone, can I have your attention? I'd like to make a toast," Jiraiya announced across the restaurant. The small chatter stopped and all eyes were on the white-haired man. Sakura stood up next, with her cup in her hand.

"What are you guys doing?" Naruto whispered.

"Today is a very special day. It is the 18th birthday of this young man sitting here if you couldn't tell from the song earlier," he began. A few "oohs" were heard in the background.

"This knuckle-headed, hyperactive, brat has put me through hell and back. From the time, I changed his diaper and he wet my face, to when he cut my hair while I was asleep. He taped the locks of hair to his face, put on a red shirt, and claimed to be Santa Claus. I couldn't convince him that he wasn't a jolly ole fella for 2 weeks."

They all laughed, except for the embarrassed Naruto hiding his face.

"Notwithstanding, I couldn't have asked for anyone better. He was able to make a great friend," he gestured to Sakura, "able to make me a proud parent, and has potential to be someone amazing. I love you, kid. Cheers."

"Cheers!"

With that, the blond had no choice but to get up and hug the super perv. Jiraiya pulled him in tightly and roughly patted his back. "You're too good to me," Naruto said. "It's out of love, you know that," he responded. "Now let me go."

Sakura stepped forward and grabbed Naruto's arm. "Excuse us, for a few. We'll be back." They exited the restaurant and took a walk down the sidewalk. Sakura kept hold of the inside of his arm not forgetting that he was a little buzzed.

"Enjoying yourself?" she wondered.

"I am actually. Ten out of ten would recommend," he smiled.

"Good shit. I know you like surprises, you'll be in for a treat tomorrow. Anyways, I had something to tell you, I remembered when we were eating."

"What's up?"

"About the card…"

"Ugh," he grunted, "There's more? I hope I can remember it all. All of me is not here right now, are you sure you want to say?"

"Yes, because after this I don't want to talk about it anymore. You need to know everything about the damned thing before I leave you." She insisted. "It is a rare situation but it's possible for someone to receive a _blank card_."

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A/N: Reviews are the bomb!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

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CHAPTER 7

What? That didn't make any sense. You can't get a blank card on your birthday because then, you wouldn't have a soulmate. Wasn't that like, cheating or something?

"How's that even possible?" Naruto scratched his chin. It was hard enough to think straight without these complicated rules puzzling his mind. That would have to be the worst birthday ever unless love wasn't something you were too desperate to find.

"Very possible. Yet, it's not as bad as it sounds," the pinkette said as a matter-of-factly. "It can be interpreted a couple of ways if you look on the bright side."

"I'm pretty good at that," Naruto shrugged.

They stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the sign to turn into the white stickman.

"One, you could date anyone that you wanted and 'be free'."

"Isn't that an already an option?" Naruto looked for turning cars before they both crossed.

"Yeah, but most people would rather save themselves the heartache and wait until they're eighteen to date," she continued explaining. "Two…I can't think of a two. Think about it, I guess, a blank card doesn't mean you don't get a soulmate, it just means you'd have a harder time finding out who it is. There's no need to be upset over it because you can find happiness with whom you're with. Love is strange that way and will always find you no matter what."

Naruto thought about it for a second. "I see where you're coming from. You could live happily ever after with a person and they might not be your soulmate. No big deal, right?"

Sakura nodded. "It's so nice down here, we'd have to go shopping one day."

"Oh no, I will not be your bellboy who lugs around those heavy bags for five hours," Naruto laughed. "Nice try, though."

"Aww you're no fun," She squeezed his arm.

"Sakura-chan, whatever happened to your card?" he inquired.

He felt her stiffen up around his arm as she looked the opposite way. She turned back with an obviously fake smile. "Mine is at home sitting on my dresser. I haven't found my soulmate yet."

Naruto could tell that something was fishy but he decided not to press her about it. Love was something that she was serious and sensitive about because, in her opinion, falling made her happy. He knew that Sakura had always been the one who easily caught feelings for a person out of the two of them. Growing up, she would nervously express her feelings to a no-good guy and they would recklessly throw her feelings back in her face. And then it would be Naruto's cue to break a couple noses and black a few eyes. Always facing rejection from potential love interests could easily shatter any wall of confidence one tried so hard to build.

He begged her to not wear her heart on her sleeve once they got to high school. Naruto was fed up with seeing his best friend be so desperate for love. Maybe watching one too many romances, or reading too many of the perv's adult books had her mind in another world. Maybe even someone put these thoughts into her head. That's when she stopped building her wall of confidence and began building a shell. He refused to let her keep him out, nonetheless. Once senior year came she changed for the better, or more so herself. Her eighteenth was a couple months before graduation so she should've gotten her card. Naruto couldn't quite remember her ever talking about it, though.

Again, he wouldn't push the matter anymore than it needed to be. However, if he found out she had a boyfriend that he didn't know about then that random guy was gonna lose his whole throat.

He was getting tired of walking and the buzz was wearing off, so they turned back to Chakra Point. The joint was supposed to be classy and extravagant but Naruto didn't think the Perv's date got the memo. She was indecently touching him and showing uncomfortable displays of affection. Couldn't she just wait until the two got to Jiraiya's home? What ever happened to _his_ special card?

"Ready?" Naruto asked the perv.

"Ready to go home already? Can't hang with the big dogs, eh kid?" Jiraiya mused.

"Did you have anywhere you wanted to go?" he sighed with slight annoyance, having already known the answer.

"Nope! It's your birthday, you can do what you want. I promised to show this one here how the scenes in my books play out in real life." He gave Naruto an exaggerated wink.

"Oh God, ew," Sakura scrunched her face up as she looked at her phone. "It's only eight, we can do something else."

"I didn't have anything planned for tonight only for the weekend," he said. "And you had something for me tomorrow as well, Sakura-chan. I'd rather go home and relax while eating some deserts." He looked at Jiraiya.

"Get any last deserts from here, then I'll stop by a sweets place and buy you ice cream," Jiraiya lifted a hand to signal a waiter. "It's like the two of you just turned eight."

Naruto flicked to a channel that was playing childhood movies. He was sitting comfortably on the sectional in his matching pajamas and animal night cap. Sakura soon joined him with two bowls of cookies n' cream ice cream and he gave her a few blankets.

"Why didn't you bring pajamas Sa-chan? You're gonna make my shirt smell like flowers," Naruto put a spoonful of deliciousness in his mouth.

"And now when you go out, people won't think that you're a hopeless virgin," she teased.

"Fuck you," he shot her a bird.

"Maybe if you did that with a girl we wouldn't be having this conversation," she snickered.

"That's why you look like the damn Pink Panther," he pointed at her and then began humming the character's theme song.

"Fuck you!" she laughed loudly.

"I might be too ugly to get a girlfriend but at least I have a personality. And besides, per that small note card in my room, someone is gonna fall hard for me."

"Right," she giggled at the idiotic grin he gave her, with the spoon sticking out the side.

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A/N: I love each and every one of you. You've been letting me slide and I started ice skating, not posting a chapter when it's time I mean. _I'm_ the one who said every week and I can't even do that! At any rate, thanks for reading. Reviews are the bomb!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to Masashi Kishimoto

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CHAPTER 8

Naruto turned over and stretched his limbs, the joints popping in all the right places. He yawned and opened his eyes to see green ones staring back at him.

"I'm hungry."

He opened his mouth and forcefully blew out a hot breath.

"Naruto!"

He got up from the couch and yawned again while stretching. His face fell into a frown as he dragged himself to the stairwell. Naruto wasn't at all a morning person. Sakura knew that speaking to him when he first awakened pissed him off to no end. He needed at least fifteen minutes to collect himself before he spoke to anyone in the morning. He ignored the girl's complaints about his poor hospitality as well as his dust collector when we walked by it. He did his morning routine, dressed laid back in black sweats and an orange hoodie, then met her in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan," he greeted calmly.

"GudmorninSakchn," she mimicked with annoyance. "It's one in the afternoon, idiot. You should've been up to tend to my every need."

"I'm not your bitch, Pinkie," he scoffed with a small laugh.

"I should've drawn a dick on your face cause you sure as hell act like one at times, you giant tangerine."

"Then call me Richard," he was quick with the comebacks this morning er- afternoon. He gave her a smile as she grabbed two breakfast bars from the cabinet and tossed him one.

"I called Gramps and asked him to take me home today. I didn't tell my parents that I was coming, I'm gonna surprise them with donuts or something," she shrugged. "I'll be back tomorrow to go out with you and stuff, for sure."

"Tell them hey, for me," he shook his head as to say 'don't worry about it'. "I could've taken you if you wanted."

"I know," she shook her head, "I would rather you be busy with something else for a bit in my absence." Sakura wiggled her fingers as if she was typing before looking back up to him.

"Hmph."

Naruto closed and locked the door behind his friend. Looking at his phone wasn't necessary but he wanted to make sure that it was, in fact, thirty after. Sakura knew what that time on this day meant and ditched him. If he wanted to go this weekend without a bruise on his face he'd better have at least five new sentences written. Sluggishly, the blond preceded to the world where creativity was unheard of, also known as his writing study.

His dust collector er-, computer set up, really was getting dusty that a couple of Lysol wipes wouldn't hurt. Fridays (at 1:30) were known as his writing and contemplation days. He would finish a chapter, come up with possible outcomes, or write about what had been on his mind that week. The element of freewriting was his best friend, he couldn't tell Sakura that though. He turned the Bluetooth on via his speaker and desktop, connecting them. Lo-fi with a shuffle of classical beats and notes played smoothly, setting a relaxing tone for the whole loft. He opened the document that he last worked on almost three weeks ago, now that this week was nearly coming to an end, along with a new document.

" _…_ _She was already walking on the line that separated their relationship from going into dangerous territory. But the undertones of her student's innuendos suggested that he was ready to cross said line with his eyes closed._

 _"_ _What kind of underwear_ do _you usually sport?" she asked in a low tone._

 _He paused on the other line before letting out a small laugh. "None…_ "

Naruto rolled his eyes, closed the file and then opened it again. Not being able to come up with the next word of the next sentence irritated him to no end. This was the fifth or sixth chapter of his novel and nowhere fast was exactly where it was going. Naruto would consider himself an amateur but he was by no means a beginner. He'd gone through this more times than he could count on his fingers yet, he could never prevent it before it came. The bastard called writer's block seemed to pop up whenever it deemed it necessary. The structure could honestly go and fuck itself slowly for all the blond cared.

Naruto either needed to start a new story with the same concepts but have a different plot. Or a new story that would allow him to produce ten different possible outcomes. However, even thinking about starting over made smoke come out of his ears, he couldn't do it. Having an idea in your head is great until you must come up with a plot, a conflict, a goal, or a twist. Making an outline for a story was never his way of writing, either. It would be plot holes here, here, oh and don't forget under there. It didn't make sense to him because you're always being hit with ideas at random moments and the story could change. An outline was too organized and predictable.

Just like this document, Naruto won't know what's going to happen next in a story until he starts typing. Truthfully, the last thing he wanted was for himself to think of writing as a burden because he wasn't flowing with ideas. They will come to him, they always did when he was in this place, so no need to worry.

The new blank document filled the monitor as he minimized the story. He would come back to it later, for now, he wanted to get his fingers warmed up with free writing.

" _I've just turned eighteen and now I'm officially an adult. My family, minus one, took me out to dinner and last night, I ate ice cream with that weird girl who's been stalking me since grade school…_ "

He laughed internally as he went off on a tangent to write about how the perv and Sakura were his favorite people in the world.

" _Something interesting also happened. I got a card that told me to go looking for my soulmate at Starbucks. Isn't that crazy?_ "

He slowly stopped typing as he contemplated.

Starbucks closed at eleven, right?

* * *

A/N: Reviews are the bomb!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

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CHAPTER 9

As a reward for adding a decent amount to his chapter and having a full page of free write, he decided to take a little trip. Naruto parked a couple of stores away from the small café called Starbucks. He hadn't ever been to a Starbucks in the past because he wasn't a coffee person. Of course, he'd heard of it, it's been hyped up probably since it was established. He brought his laptop along just in case he got some inspiration for his chapter or didn't have anything to do. His stomach rumbled at the same time his phone vibrated and beeped from a notification. The granola bar obviously wasn't going to hold him over for long and he wondered if Starbucks only sold caffeinated drinks. He secured his car by pressing the alarm on his keypad and continued. Here goes nothing. Time to see who the lucky girl is going to be.

When he opened the door, it chimed in its cliché way and got the attention from the person behind the cash register. Naruto nodded and smiled in that direction then went to the small table in the corner. He set his things down and took a seat in the soft single lounge chair. The interior was that, well, of a coffee place. No more, no less, it wasn't anything special to talk about once you left. There were a good number of people sitting in as well. Drinking from their decorated mugs and logo engraved thermoses. Murmurs echoed through the place along with the radio playing out the speakers. Seemed pretty basic to him.

Even though he could potentially find his future here, he wasn't nervous. No butterflies swarming in his stomach, clammy palms, or rapid thumps in his chest. Maybe a part of him was skeptical of the whole deal. That maybe this was just a government scheme to make people fall in love with strangers. All because a piece of paper in the mail told you that it was true. And for what reason? Control?

…..Nah. Conspiracy theories weren't Naruto's cup of tea either. If he didn't believe it why would he be here? He asked himself that as he made his way to the counter.

A person just finished ordering and stepped out of the way. The cashier smiled brightly at Naruto with her nice white teeth. She had long black hair and dark brown skin. She was very attractive. Anxiety settled in his stomach at what she would say.

"It's a beautiful day at Starbucks. What can I get you?" she spoke, a line that she probably said 15 times already today. He internally calmed down.

The cashier's greeting didn't ring any bells. He pulled his wallet out of his sweats' pocket and searched the small flaps. Shoot! He must have left it at home. Although, Sakura did say that he would never forget the words. If what the cashier said wasn't familiar, then it mustn't be it.

"Um hello," he responded quickly. "I don't know what I want. You have anything to eat?"

"Well, our menu is right up there," she gestured to the wall behind her. "I could give you a second to decide."

"Alright," Naruto squinted his eyes to make the words on the menu appear bigger. He couldn't spell or say more than half the terms there. What the hell was a maccaato?

"I think I'll come back."

She nodded at him as he turned and took a seat. He pulled out his phone and started shaking his leg. He opened a memo app and titled it, "She loves me not". He tapped the enter button and typed a small description of the cashier. If he could get a list of all the employees that didn't say the special words to him, it'll be easier to figure out which one should. But what if none of them say it? Will he have to go around the city hitting up every Starbucks? Oh no, that would just be too much. He was _not_ that desperate to find this person.

A girl wearing a black visor, with Starbucks in capital letters on it, approached Naruto with a pile of papers in her arms. She had short, curly blonde hair and the top of her head probably came up to his shoulder. The anxiety spiked back up, ready for what she would say.

"Hello, Welcome to Starbucks. I hope you're having a nice afternoon," she greeted him. Again, he calmed down internally.

"Hi," he responded.

She handed him one of the pieces of paper which were a flyer, or invitation.

"As you can see, the workers here at Starbucks are hosting an open mic night. It is this Tuesday coming up and anyone is invited. You can sing, recite a poem, or give the audience a good laugh. It is from 7 pm to 10 pm and refreshments will be free until 8:30 pm. The dress is informally formally, meaning no full suits but a button up and slacks are fine," she explained to him.

"I've never been to an open mic night. Thanks, I might check it out," Naruto smiled kindly.

"Well, next week is a perfect time to try it. You promise to come?" She held out the pinky of her free hand.

Naruto laughed nervously as he put a hand on the back of his neck. "We'll just have to see."

She stepped closer, "Come on. You look like the type to write poetry in his free time."

"I don't, actually," he shrugged his shoulders.

"There's literally a sticker on your laptop that says, 'Scripturient'", she folded her arms with a smug smile.

Naruto raised one brow at her. Most people don't know what the phrase means. "But that doesn't mean I write poetry."

She chuckled, "And I would agree with you, if the sticker on the bottom left didn't read, 'I am a writer, therefore I am not sane'. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's a quote by Edgar Allen Poe. A renowned writer, best known for his tales and _poetry_ in the 1800s."

"Ok, you got me," Naruto put his hands up in submission. "I'll be here at 7:00 on Tuesday. Not 6:59, not 7:01."

"Please and thank you," she grinned and walked away.

The young writer put the flyer away in his case, then put the girl down in his memos. This didn't make him a creep, did it?

* * *

A/N: Reviews are the bomb!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

* * *

CHAPTER 10

"Naruto, don't be selfish!" Sakura complained as she bit a chunk out of his yellow cotton candy. "Why does yours taste better than mine?"

"I told you not to get the pink one just because it matches your hair. It tastes like medicine!" Naruto held his sweet (and other foods on sticks) away from her so she couldn't snag another bite. "Mine."

The duo was spending their Saturday at Coney Island. The sun was shining on and off due to cloud blockage and, the wind blew its warm breeze around them. The people in the city were taking a huge advantage of the weather because tons of families were there. Naruto forced Sakura into a pact; they were going to get on every ride even the kiddie ones. They had been there since the park opened and still had a yes number of rides to get on. Being worked up from all the ups and down of Flips-flaps, Thunderbolts, and Cyclones made Naruto hungry.

"Sa-chan, if you had a boyfriend you would tell me, right?" Naruto asked Sakura as she sat across from him, an elephant ear in her hand.

"That was out of nowhere," she laughed. "Would I tell you? Absolutely…"

"Then who was that guy asking for your number," he pointed his chicken on a stick in the direction in which she came from.

"…fucking not," she smiled brightly.

"Why not?!"

"Look. I have to go back to Notre Hell tomorrow and won't be back in town until Labor Thanksgiving Day. Meanwhile, I'll be focusing on my studies, extracurriculars, and won't have time for fun," she shrugged and bit her pastry. "And you're a guard dog, sweetheart."

Naruto tapped the tip of his chicken on his temple, thinking it over. He gasped dramatically.

"You!" he accused. "You, you're a _horn_ dog."

"Hide your sons, I'm looking to hit it and quit it," she winked with a smirk.

Naruto puffed up his chest and stuffed half of the stick in his mouth. "Over my dead body. You don't even know that guy."

"Don't worry, I'm going to get to know him really well," the pinkette giggled as Naruto folded his arms. "Jeez, Pouty McPout Pout, eat your chicken and get over it."

"I'm thirsty," his mouth full of food said. "I'll go get us drinks. Watch my food for me."

Sakura continued to eat her own food, "Don't get any more sugar, like a shake. You'll get a tummy ache. Ooh, that rhymed."

"Sure, Mom."

Which way was the shake stand? He didn't have to worry about an upset stomach, he just had to wait 45 minutes before riding again. A group of children ran past him wearing balloon hats and face paints. He had to find those stand next! Even though he just turned eighteen didn't mean he had to adult just yet. The shake stand was just a few feet away from him with a small line.

As to not look like an idiot just standing in line, he pulled out his phone and opened his Snapchat app. He turned the phone sideways to take a picture on the front camera. He smiled as wide as he could, eyes closed, and put up the peace sign. The picture was nice, except…the person behind him was photobombing with a mean look. The guy was staring right at the camera the least he could've done was pose, why didn't he just move? Naruto silently laughed at his impassive stare and posted the picture. At least the person looked cool, he was wearing a dad hat with a red and white fan-like symbol in the middle. Dad hats were always cool.

 _Hurry up. I'm dying of_ dehydration, Sakura texted him.

 _I'm next in line, hold your horses_ , he replied.

The blond paid for a chocolate shake, ice cream bar, bottled water, and soda pop.

"Young man, are you going to be able to carry all of that?" the seller asked Naruto.

"Oh yeah I got it," he reassured as he turned around and dropped the bottle of water. He set the other two drinks on the ground and picked them up one at a time. As he stood, he lost his grip on the shake and tried to catch it mid-air. He swatted it instead and shake splattered all over the ground and the guy behind him. Chocolate stained the guy's legs and all Naruto could do was stand there, shocked. The guy looked down at the mess with his arms raised.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" the blond apologized. "It was an accident."

A slightly older looking guy, who was wearing the same hat came to the person's side. "Little brother, did you need help with th—. You're covered in chocolate."

Both looked up at the klutz behind the mess.

Naruto gulped under the stares, "I umm, I think I heard someone calling me. I'd better uhh."

"Wait a minute…"

The klutz scurried off with the other drinks and ice cream in his arms. He saw his table where Sakura was sitting and slowed down.

"About time y—"

"Sakura, we gotta go! Come on, let's go," he rushed her.

She scrambled to get up, grabbed the rest of his food and ran after him. "What's going on? Stranger danger?"

They stopped to hide behind a funhouse and caught their breaths. The two guys back there, fortunately, didn't chase after him so he and Sakura were safe. The older one looked strong like he could squish Naruto like a little bug. He was still the birthday boy and therefore deserved to have the bones in his face undamaged.

"This sucks, my ice cream is leaking," the blond whined.

Sakura took a swig out of the bottled water. "Maybe if you didn't have us run like a couple of maniacs then it would be fine. Why did we run, anyways? I didn't plan on sweating today."

"I spilled chocolate shake on this guy and his older brother came to beat me up. I ran away before he could throw the first punch," Naruto explained.

"Didn't I tell your ass not to get a shake?! You ate cotton candy. You know how you get when you've had too much sugar. Wait a minute, who hit you? Tell me where they are right now."

"No, no, it's fine," Naruto blocked her path before she went off to raise hell.

* * *

A/N: For those of you still in school, good luck on finals. Reviews are the bomb!

Side note: The time frame for someone to meet their significant other is 3 years, not 1. That was a mistake on my end, I should've have paid way more attention. Sakura never said that a blank card indicated death, but that it would be more a challenge to find your soulmate. Throughout the story, I use the simple future tense. Specifically, the modal verb "will", meaning that you can't have already met your soulmate until (or after) you turn 18. Please keep this side note in mind.

Thanks for my readers, I love each and every one of you.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

* * *

Chapter 11

As the day passed on, the bright sky transitioned into a story. One side glowing a pink and orange as the sun set, while the other side dimmed to a dark blue waiting on the moon to arrive with the stars. The couple of best buds walked along the pier that allowed them to gaze out into the water. One's face was covered in multiple shades of a dark brown and yellow that came together to resemble a cheetah. The other had a crown of twisted balloons atop her head that impressively familiarized with a green and red dragon. Naruto carried a life-sized stuffed elephant in his arms that Sakura won for him and wore a satisfied smile on his face.

They rode every ride on the island. Sakura felt like an idiot standing next to an even bigger idiot when they stood in the kiddie ride lines. Naruto, of course, grinned until his face became stuck when it was their turn to get measured on the "are you tall enough?" panel. Granted, they had to get their own cars or seats because of their adult sizes. And no matter how flat the incline or slow the turnaround, Naruto yelled louder than the kids at the excitement.

The last of any free food tickets they had won were used for refreshments to moisten their dry throats. All the screaming of the day had taken a toll on both of their diaphragms and now they sounded like they smoked a pack a day. It was worth it though. Even though the two were from the city, they didn't spend a lot of nice days riding rollercoasters. They stopped to rest at a bench and Sakura pulled out her phone for a picture.

"We look so adorable," she sighed with a smile and posted it on her PhotoTalk app. "What are you going to call it?" Sakura gestured towards Naruto's prize.

Naruto crossed his leg connecting his ankle with his thigh and faced the plush. He considered the black glossy eyes and tried to think of a bunch of generic names but no good ones came to mind. The cotton was gray, covered in multicolored dots, and had a white belly. "How about Specks?" the blond suggested. Sakura shrugged and nodded her head in agreement.

"How come you didn't come to college first?" Sakura asked, out of the blue even though she already knew the answer.

"Hm?" Naruto turned to her.

"I know you want to write and everything but it would've been really fun for you. You could major in Creative Writing and take it from there," she went on. "Where do you plan on going?"

Naruto tapped his chin. "Well, I've been working on this novel since March and I'm barely halfway through it. Taking classes now would just be a distraction and I already have writer's block. Trying to end senior year with above average grades set me back, too. I want to get it done so Pervy Gramps can set me up with this literary agent. The guy's been waiting for me, ya know."

Sakura nodded her head.

"I was looking at Columbia and New York University. That's where Perv spent his undergrad and graduate," Naruto laid the plush across his lap.

"You are _not_ staying in-state, Naruto," Sakura shook her head. "Go out and explore. Get out of your comfort zone. We've been in the city our whole lives and don't get me wrong, I love where I'm from, but there's nothing wrong with a little change."

"I could go to Notre Dame," Naruto smugly grinned.

"Wait a minute, I didn't say all that…" Sakura nervously chuckled.

"Calm down, I'm only kidding," Naruto chided. "Are there cute college girls?"

"Only a lot that you would have zero success with," Sakura snickered.

"Here we go," Naruto lifted his hand and gestured to the intangible conversation. "You're just peanut butter and jealous because I have the sex appeal of a God.

"Yeah ok," Sakura smiled as her eyes rolled in their sockets. "Hey, I have a question."

"I may have an answer."

Sakura took a small pause before asking, "What girl were you talking about before and what's going on with that? The one that's been distracting you from writing."

The blond could feel small chills ride down his back and up his neck. He should've just kept his mouth shut about it from the beginning. Did she remember that? Damn, he couldn't have any secrets in this friendship.

"Umm…" he scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, you said that she was one of the reasons that you had writer's block, too. I just thought it was a big deal if it's coming in between you and _your writing_. Even I know better than that," she looked out to the water and fingered a lock of pink behind her ear.

Naruto tipped his head forward with an unamused expression. That was her thing to get Naruto to submit. She'd say something that clearly showed her irritation, look away and put her hair behind her ear. Just spoiled because Naruto knows something that she doesn't. There can't be a cat inside of a bag because Sakura wants to be the bag, cat, and the air around it. Ugh.

"I'll tell you. Just give me a chance to figure out the situation," he sighed in defeat. She turned to him and grinned. The smile that tucks your lips under themselves and your entire set of teeth show. "Brat."

"Ok!"

The two got back to the loft in half the time it took them to get to the park, thanks to pinkette asked to drive and that was where Naruto made his first mistake. His second was thinking that she had control over that ferocious temper of hers. There's no way that you can have road rage and drive in New York. He nearly had a stroke at the young age of 18 when she flew across the bridge to get from Brooklyn back to the city. Every car that dared cross her path was met with several obscenities and the digit next to her pointer finger. The whiskered cheeked blond staggered into his home (with Sakura in tow) and collapsed to the floor. He thanked the Lord that today wasn't his last.

* * *

A/N: Guess who's back and better than ever! Sorry about the late update but I'm without wifi at home. Reviews are the bomb!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

* * *

Chapter 12

 _Can we meet at our usual?_

We don't have a usual. I won't promise that this is going to become a regular thing. I will meet you where we last talked, same time.

 _Sorry. I will be there. Thank you again, this means so much._

Ok.

* * *

The time for lunch just passed and Naruto found himself walking through the door of Starbucks again. The bell jingled above his head and the cashier from across the floor gave him a smile. The spot where he sat before was empty. He took a seat and placed his belongings down on the table. Instead of his laptop, he brought along a pair of earbuds, a notebook, and writing utensils to keep him busy. Plus, his special card tucked into his wallet.

He never really likes writing in public places where people could look over his shoulder and discover the real him. Snoop at your own risk if you want to be thrown in the middle of a sex scene. Yes, his stories were hot and steamy, with a side of nosebleeds at times. It was true that he wanted the audience to be aimed at young adults but, they liked to read these types of stories as well. At least, he thought so. If he placed an 'explicit' rating on them, parents would think twice about buying the book for their kids. Unless there was a rule that prohibited him from writing explicit young adult books then he cut the wrong wire.

A trick he'd learned as a kid when he wanted to write in public or didn't have a computer, was to write in his native language. People can't judge his hidden pervert if they can't understand it. Obviously, a couple of his friends and Jiraiya could read it but, they tried not to cross those lines knowing how seriously Naruto took his passion. Naruto opened to a blank page and wrote the date at the top right-hand corner. For the title, who wrote 'Possible Outcome' and plugged his earbuds into his smartphone.

Before he came, he searched what kinds of things to order from Starbucks when you're a newbie. A warmed-up cheese Danish and tall caramel Frappuccino was what he paid the cashier for. She was about average height (but shorter than Naruto's tall stature), plump, and wore a religious covering around her head. He thought she looked like a cute bunny rabbit with the way her cheeks stuck out of her hijab. However, as adorable as she looked, she did not say the magic words according to his card. The two other employees that he spoke with the other day were working behind the counter as well, making the drinks and such. For a quicker process, Naruto would have to come here all the time or speak with more than one worker to get what he came for.

He sat down with his purchase then typed a small description of the cashier on his 'Loves Me Not' memo. He cautiously took a sip of his drink and smacked his lips to acquire the taste. It wasn't as bad as he assumed, though he could taste more espresso than caramel flavoring. The Danish was nice and flakey with its gooey middle. He would buy that again next time.

Getting back to the matter at hand, he put the earbuds into his ears, turned on the music and picked up his pencil.

" _She closed her eyes for a second to recall when he walked into her lecture that morning with just pants and a shirt. He was wearing baggy sweats. While she taught, she walked past his row about three times, making unnecessary eye contact. It went unnoticed by his sleeping and uninterested peers around him. If she had this piece of information, she would've walked past a fourth time lowering her eyes to what was hidden underneath._

 _"_ _And what about you?" he returned her question._

 _The professor looked over at the clock on her nightstand. It was eleven in the evening and they had been on the phone for 45 minutes. She still had 50 more papers to grade before tomorrow. She promised her students that she'd have it done for them but she couldn't hang up just yet. Not when the conversation had her insides doing backflips._

 _"_ _Earlier, I was wearing a pants suit and underneath a lace thong. But right now, I'm wearing granny panties," she bit the bottom of her lip for the embarrassing confession._

 _"_ _Granny panties are hot," the boy chuckled._

 _"_ _Yeah, right," she said._

 _"_ _No, they are. Thongs are cool because you have the bra to match. But granny panties are soft and they can double as superhero bottoms. I think I like them the most because I can rip them open and…_ "

The music in one of Naruto's ear went out and his earbud hovered by his right eye. He looked up at the person whose hand held his earbud and smiled at his pink haired friend.

"Since when do you drink coffee?"

"Hey, Sakura. Thanks for meeting me here," Naruto stood to find a chair that could be pulled up to his table.

"I got all the things on your food shopping list and this was your change," Sakura handed him a few dollar bills. "You're lucky you're my friend or else I would've let you starve."

"Love you too," he sat back down. "All of your things are packed?"

"Yup," she nodded. "I hope you had as much fun as I did this weekend. I'm glad I got to see you again."

Naruto wiped away a fake tear and said, "This was an amazing birthday, Sakura-chan. One for the books! I really don't want you to leave, I'm going to be so bored by myself."

"Me neither," Sakura rested her chin on her hand. The besties let out a simultaneous sigh.

"Does that guy know you're going to back to school?" Naruto flared his nostrils and closed his notebook. He'd almost forgotten.

"Who? Oh, right. Fuck that guy, he has a girlfriend who he's been dating for three years. No thanks," she stuck her tongue out in disgust. "She texted me and started calling me every name in the book."

"What's his address?" Naruto touched her free hand with a serious look. "I just want to talk."

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A/N: Reviews are the bomb!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

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Chapter 13

For Sakura to get back to school in a timely manner, Jiraiya bought her a plane ticket. Just like with the restaurant, he used his connections to get her a same day seat, in first class. Nothing but the best for the daughter he never had. Naruto drove her to the airport and helped her with luggage and all the standardized things. When she got back to Indiana, she'd have a driver waiting for her to take her back to campus.

"I'm sorry, honey. I wasn't supposed to get deployed until next year."

"They can't do that. They know that you have a family to take care of. Why don't they call someone else?"

Sakura reached out and touched his cheek. "Look after the kids."

Naruto pulled her in for a hug then waved good bye as she left him. She looked back one last time to flash her teeth and Naruto did the same. The two always did a dramatic scene like that when they were leaving one another for a small period since they were kids. If one or the other weren't getting called back to war, they were off to find Atlantis, or had to travel through space. People around them would show confused expressions at their performance, but the two kept the joke as an insider.

Now, Naruto was handling a few important things. Mostly getting supplies for his home, making phone calls to different universities, and reluctantly proof reading Jiraiya's manuscripts. As he crossed out a sentence fragment in the text, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw two text messages. One from Sakura and one from an unsaved number:

 _I made it back to campus safely. Thanks for this weekend, and I'll see you later. Be on the lookout for that special someone_ _:)_

And.

 _I will be running a few minutes late, I had to take care of something. I'm sorry, I will be there as soon as I can._

"That makes two of us," the blond thought as he put his phone down and corrected the crossed-out sentence. He continued through the second chapter annotating, and highlighting anything that didn't need to be there. Also, checking any spelling errors and comma splices. It humored him that he could run through Perv's books like water yet, wasn't able to come to a climax of his own novel in the making.

He half-smiled then roughly patted his cheek with his free hand. Naruto was his biggest critic but he realized that he shouldn't be as hard on himself as he is. He had to think about it with a clear head. Jiraiya was a _professional_ and critically acclaimed writer. He's been writing this since before the blond was thought of but, at times, he trusted a high school kid (now graduate) to edit his manuscripts. Either he had a lot of faith in Naruto, or he was trying to show him that even the best needs some support. Heck, even Einstein asked questions.

No one expected the young writer to pull a novel out of his magic hat. The pressure that Naruto constantly put on himself was relieved, if only for the moment.

* * *

As soon as Naruto was old enough to get his driver's license, the Super Pervert privileged him with a car. He could drive himself to school, the mall, and hang out with friends. Though with parents, it's always terms and conditions that apply. He got a car, but sitting in the passenger seat was also a curfew. Eight o'clock was his deadline no matter what, and the blond always made sure he was in his home before then. The night before his birthday he was out pass curfew because of the same reason that will explain tonight. The blond dreaded what the punishment would be when he walked through the door. But sometimes, you must do what you must do.

The clock on his radio read 9:00. Naruto parked in a spot along the curb before another car could. He got out, secured his car with an alarm and walked passed a few stores before turning into a pub.

The small establishment reminded him of a setting from a video game. Wooden everything. The floor, ceiling, bars and tables. The stools were actual barrels with cushions nailed down on top. The lighting was very dim and there were sketchy looking people enjoying their beers and having small conversations with one another. Naruto made eye contact with the bartender as he walked towards a booth in the back. The bartender nodded in return and returned to his business.

Naruto slid in and took out his phone.

 _Here._

He shot the text to the unsaved number that texted him earlier. When he looked up, a waiter was approaching him, but stopped when he saw Naruto's face. The waiter mouthed a 'sorry' and walked elsewhere. Naruto tapped his fingers against the wood, impatiently and looked towards the entrance. Not a second later, a person wearing a green hood walked through and immediately made eye contact with him. Naruto looked down at his phone and checked the time. He looked back up and the person was at his booth…along with a smaller hooded person.

"I told you, you don't have to hide your face. No one is looking for us," Naruto gestured towards the hoods. The taller person removed their hood first and then removed the second's hood. It was a woman and a boy. The woman had long, bright red, hair and wore an awkward smile on her face.

"Sorry. Hi," she slid into the booth and pulled the boy in with her.

Naruto looked at her, to the boy, then back at her. "Kushina, I thought I said that I would only meet one on one."

"I know, I know, but my sitter canceled and I didn't have anyone to watch him," the woman, Kushina, looked at the boy's head.

"I guess it's fine," Naruto sighed and ran a finger through his golden locks. "We need to make this quick."

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A/N: No Internet won't stop me from writing! Another chapter for you beautiful people. Reviews are the bomb!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

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Chapter 14

"His name is Menma," Kushina said. "I didn't want you to meet him before you met your father."

Naruto frowned and folded his arms. "My father is Jiraiya and I told you that I needed time. You can't throw all of this at me at once and expect me to accept it, ya know." Naruto looked to the boy and back to her when he said the last bit.

Kushina blinked a couple of times and fiddled with her fingers. "Sorry."

Naruto relaxed his shoulders and observed the little one. Naruto thought he was looking into a mirror. The only thing that separated him from the boy was that his blond hair was longer. Naruto unfolded his arms and looked at Kushina. "I assume we're brothers."

A smile crept upon the woman's lips and she put a hand over her mouth to hide it. "Blood makes us related, not family," Naruto added in, easily removing the smile from the woman's face.

Kushina was Naruto's biological mother. When he first saw her, or when she saw him, he was at the market looking for ramen noodles. He heard someone whisper his name and he turned in that direction. At the end of the aisle, the red-haired woman was standing there with her hands over her mouth. She slowly approached him and Naruto was wondering how she knew his name. Once she got three feet in front of him, she collapsed to her knees and sobbed. A little freaked, Naruto took a couple of steps back contemplating if he should leave or call for help. But, he was a sucker for tears.

He crouched down to her and asked her why she was crying. She tried to collect herself and face him, but failed as more tears trailed down her face. Naruto was beginning to panic as shoppers looked in their direction with curious faces. He helped her up but was still unsure of what to do. "Please stop crying," he begged her with worry all over his face. This random woman just broke down in front of him and he wasn't sure why. Eventually, she wiped at her eyes and forced herself to calm down. Was there something that he did that made her cry or…?

The woman then just stared at him before reaching out to touch his cheek. He grabbed her wrist before she could make contact and laughed nervously. Now the woman was really freaking him out. He awkwardly said his goodbye to her, forgot about his noodles and decided to just leave. As he was walking to his car, he heard steps other than his own following him. He turned around and it was the red-haired woman again, staring at him with this look of disbelief. What was with this woman? "Um, can I help you with something?" he scratched the back of his neck.

Kushina didn't outright tell him who she was but instead insisted that she meet him at this pub. Naruto immediately declined, thinking it was her asking him out or something even weirder. She insisted, nearly begging, him to meet her there but she didn't say why. Naruto wasn't stupid. He was taught better than to meet up with a stranger at an even stranger place. Yet, something in the back of his head told him to go along with it. They exchanged numbers and she told him what day to be there. It was the next week that Naruto officially met his mother.

It threw Naruto through a loop and he thought it was some kind of joke. The woman didn't look anything like him, and she didn't know anything about him. Well, she knew a couple of things. Like his full name, birthday, who Jiraiya was, and why Naruto went into Jiraiya's care.

Damn.

Words couldn't explain what the blond felt that night. He didn't know how he was supposed to feel, nor what he was supposed to do. Hell, he was still processing the whole thing, hence it had been occupying his thoughts. If he had to put an emotion on how he was reacting to the whole idea, anger would be it. And boy did it showed in his tone and expressions.

"Did you um, want to continue our conversation?" Kushina asked.

The two had met later that same week and the night before his birthday. He hadn't told anyone about their meetings and neither did she. He wanted to only meet her one on one and would tell her when he was ready to meet his biological father. He wanted to learn about the man from the source so Kushina kept her own counsel about him.

The last meeting ran way past his deadline too and he didn't want any questions from Pervy Gramps as to why he came in late another night. He may have his own place but until recently, he was still a minor and needed to be checked on frequently. So, Jiraiya being there when he got home wasn't a big deal and besides, it was a luxury to live alone at such a young age. Even still, to avoid suspicion the whiskered teen tried to get home at a decent time.

"How old is he?" Naruto ignored her question.

"Menma just turned twelve earlier this year," Kushina cleared her throat and looked down at her son's head.

"While you were pregnant…?" Naruto tilted his head and let the question ask itself.

Kushina shook her head and corrected him, "No, we waited 3 years just to make sure _nothing_ would affect him."

"But things didn't go that way with me, right?" Naruto requested allowing Kushina to take his tone however way she wanted.

It wasn't Naruto's intentions to guilt trip Kushina, it just came out that way. Their past conversations had been Kushina explaining when she started using, why she'd stopped, and how long has she been clean. The blond just didn't understand how someone could easily fall down that path and then try to take care of another when they couldn't take care of themselves. The red-haired woman was a middle-aged mother but because of her past self, she looked much older. He could tell she used to be beautiful and, to an extent, she still was but the body can only do so much to keep it that way. Not when you poison your body and fuck up your immune system, preventing it from doing so. His intentions also weren't to make her feel like he was judging.

Again, he was still trying to process the whole thing and didn't have a clear opinion on it. The last time he'd actually gave it much thought was when he was in grade school. But, thanks to Sakura and Jiraiya he didn't have to and soon pushed it to the recesses of his subconscious. Besides, he wasn't perfect. Naruto wasn't the type to put himself on a pedestal and put others down for their mistakes. No matter how badly the mistake affected him.

* * *

A/N: Reviews are the bomb!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

* * *

CHAPTER 15

Naruto knew that he couldn't rely on his biological mother's brain power to remember if she was using during the time of her pregnancy with him. She claimed that she would've known better than to use during, but she definitely had used before, and after. Well, until they decided on a second. She also claimed that after losing him that she'd wanted to quit to prove that she was better than that. Something about her eventually relapsing to treat herself for the stress she put herself through by trying to quit. When he told her that before, he'd almost laughed in her face at how ridiculous it sounded out loud.

"You called the meeting this time," Naruto answered her original question, if he wanted to continue their previous conversation. "It's up to you."

"I have something for you," Kushina shook her head and the corner of her lips turned up.

"For me?"

The woman reached inside of her coat and pulled out a small, black paper bag. It was wrinkled and a little torn at the top but it was what was in the inside that mattered. She set it in the middle of the table and waited for him to look inside.

"Happy belated," she put an arm around Menma and pulled him close to her. "I didn't say it the night before because it wasn't time, nor did I have a present."

Naruto looked at the bag from the outside, testing his x-ray vision to see if he could figure out what was inside of it. Kushina didn't have to get him anything and if she felt obligated, she had absolutely no idea what his interests were. And she probably never would because he'd already made it clear that _I want to be back in your life_ wasn't in the script. These meetings he decided would only be temporary but if this small gesture made her sleep at night then he'd take it. No harm done, right?

He reached out to grab the bag and set it in his lap. He moved the piece of stuffing paper to the side and pulled out a small, black box. It was basically the same was an earring or ring box, only bigger and sharper edges. Blue orbs closely examined the outside, flipping it upside down and then bringing it to his ear with a shake.

"Naruto!" Kushina blurted firmly and put a fist on the table. Naruto only slightly flinched before looking at her with raised eyebrows. "Um, sorry but don't handle it like that. Please just open it."

"My fault," the blond cleared his throat and brought the box back in front of him. Inside was a glass figurine. It was of an orange fox and was curled into a ball. Why was she giving him this?

"Umm," he looked up to her with obvious confusion.

"It's a…family heirloom," Kushina told him slowly, almost as if saying family would cause him to throw it across the room. "I know it doesn't look that expensive and, trust me it's not, but its sentimental value is priceless. It was passed down to me on my eighteenth and now it's time for me to pass it down to you."

Naruto didn't see that one coming. How convenient was it that she happened to meet him in enough time to give it to him on his eighteenth?

"A fox, huh?" Naruto removed it from the box and felt around the glass with his fingertips.

Kushina smiled and explained, "It is a symbol of love. Pure, unconditional love that only grows stronger with the bond you create with family, friends, or significant others. You're supposed to keep it placed at the "heart" of your home. My mother kept it in a glass case shelved next to the staircase in our home." She put her chin on her palm and looked to the ceiling. "You see, our second floor only consisted of bedrooms. Once you went up, directly to your right was my room and as you went across there were four more rooms. My aunt, uncle, and cousins lived with us for a while so they each had their own room. Mother told me she put the fox next to the stairs because they lead her to the people she most loved."

Naruto put the fox back inside of the velvet box as she continued.

"I thought that was the corniest thing I had ever heard. I mean, it was just a stupid fox. But..." she cast her eyes to the side as her face lost all of its emotion. "I learned the hard way that hatred is an underestimated emotion and love always wins. Always."

Naruto let out a small chuckle as he raised one brow. "What? Is this some kind of voodoo magic fox?"

Kushina brought her glance to him but didn't find amusement in his question. "Even though you don't consider me family, I hope that it," she gestured to the figurine, "can continue to hold its title as a family heirloom. Only when you turn eighteen."

"Right,' Naruto stretched the word then returned the fox to its box, and box to its bag. He opened his mouth to say something but shook his head and met Kushina's eyes. "Thanks."

He slid out of the booth and scratched the back of his head. "I will text you."

Awkwardly waving goodbye, he exited the pub and made a beeline to his car. He faintly wondered if she was making the whole thing up and was just giving him a present out of guilt. Come on, a fox with superpowers? She could have at least come up with something a little bit more realistic. Naruto patted his pockets for his keys and unlocked the door. It was thirty after nine. He silently prayed that the Perv was out living it up at a bar so Naruto can make it to his loft before him. He put his present in the compartment and put on his Sakura-driving cap. _Click_ went his seat belt and he turned on the ignition. He put the gear in drive ready to haul ass home but the car abruptly stopped just as soon as it moved.

"What?"

The blond quickly turned the car off and stepped out to see what the problem was. In that moment, he hated the color yellow more than he did knockoff ramen. It was big, it was round, and it wasn't going anywhere soon. Just like Naruto.

* * *

A/N: Reviews are the bomb!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

* * *

CHAPTER 16

"A fucking boot?! Are you serious right now?" he yelled to no one in particular. He assessed his surroundings and saw a fire hydrant. He looked at it with the upmost disbelief as if it magically appeared next to the back of his car. Getting back to his tire, he tried pulling the boot and got more irritated when it didn't come off. How was he going to get home? He ran a hand through his tresses and took a deep breath.

"It's alright, just calm down," He said aloud to himself. "It can't get any worse than this."

Mother Nature probably thought Naruto was yelling at her when he screamed into the air. As punishment (and on cue), thunder boomed into the night sky. "You're fucking serious right now," Naruto deadpanned.

"Are you ok?" a voice called out to him.

He turned to see Kushina and Menma standing there. She looked down and mouth an 'O' before looking back up to him with a half-smile. "Do you need a ride?"

Naruto looked at his car once more and reached into his pocket. The thought of riding the bus or hailing a taxi cab went out the window when he realized he didn't have his wallet. His loft was not within walking distance so he really didn't have another choice. But, he didn't want Kushina to know where he lived. It wasn't like she was going to stalk him but he was afraid that she'd pop up unannounced. He couldn't risk that, especially with Jiraiya coming in and out all the time.

"Ok."

Naruto's eyes subconsciously followed the movement of the windshield wipers as the rain trickled down the glass. The state was going to tow him, take him to the pound, then he'd have to pay a fine. He would need Jiraiya to take him downtown since the car and insurance was in his name. In his head, he thought of the characters, setting, and plot that his lie would tell when he got home to Jiraiya without a car. Of course, he was kidding himself for he wasn't a very good liar. The truth was always faster and didn't cause any damage. What was that about keeping this whole thing a secret?

The blond mentally flicked his forehead. He couldn't tell the truth, not this time. He wasn't ready to bring Kushina out in the open yet.

"Umm Naruto. You've been quiet this whole time," Kushina spoke. "I don't know where I'm going. Do you live close?"

Red flags went off in Naruto's head and he looked out the window for street signs. He knew this area because he'd rode this way to get to…That's it!

"Take a left at the corner and keep straight," Naruto pointed to a stop sign before reaching in his pocket for his phone. He sent a text to Jiraiya asking if he could pick him up between X and Y.

Starbucks didn't close until eleven. Once Jiraiya picked him up, he can say that his car was towed and that he was stranded in the café. He couldn't get home because he left his wallet etc. etc. The plan was foolproof!

"You can drop me off right here."

"Should you be out this late? It's pouring and you don't have an umbrella," Kushina hesitantly pulled over and gave him a concerned look.

"I have to do something. Thanks for the ride," Naruto got out of the car and began down the sidewalk. He knew that it was just motherly instincts that caused Kushina to be so worried about him. However, she didn't have a right to be, she gave that chance up. She was right though, he didn't have an umbrella or a jacket. It wasn't supposed to fucking rain today. His clothes were clinging to him and his hair became heavier as it soaked up the water. He ducked his head down and picked up the pace to get to his destination. The neon, green, and white sign soon came into view and he mentally cheered. His plan was working and now he wouldn't have to tell Jiraiya anything about anyone. He reached out for the handle and pulled but was confused when it didn't open.

"Is there a boot on the door, too?" Naruto's brows came together and he pulled at the door again. The lights were still on but unfortunately there weren't people inside. The chairs were turned upside down on the tables and wet floor signs stood here and there. That could explain why the curb had an absence of cars, they were closed. He cupped his hands around his eyes and leaned forward on the glass. Eventually, a person came out of one of the doors and walked behind the front counter. Maybe he was the maintenance man.

Naruto rapped on the glass and waved his hand when the guy looked up. He clasped his hands together, pleading for him to unlock the door. The guy didn't move but just stared at him. A couple seconds went by before he walked over to open the door.

"Thanks for letting me in," the wet blond blew out a sigh of relief. He squeezed some of the excess water from his golden locks and pushed it back atop his head. He stepped forward just a few feet from the counter, the worker back behind it. "My ride should be here in just a bit. You think I could use your restroom first?"

The worker had a binder in front of him, Naruto could guess that he was filling out some paperwork, perhaps. His pen didn't stop moving and he didn't look up to answer Naruto.

"Uh, excuse me?" Naruto pressed. "Is that a no? Or…"

The worker's pen stopped moving and he set it down. He reached for his Starbucks cap and slightly shook his head as he removed it. Raven tresses fell from the clutches of the headwear and into place. The dark green apron that he also sported came off and he put both under the counter. Piercing dark eyes finally looked up at the soaked Naruto taking in his whole appearance. He wore an expression of annoyance but still failed to acknowledge the blond.

* * *

A/N: Reviews are the bomb!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: All things Naruto goes to the one and only Masashi Kishimoto

* * *

CHAPTER 17

"Am I talking to a wall?" Naruto was getting annoyed himself. "Are you new here? Because the service is usually so much better."

The worker dramatically scoffed. "Welcome to Starbucks, Dobe. What do you want? As you can see, we're closed so I don't know what kind of service you expected to get."

"How rude can you be?" Naruto raised his voice as he folded his arms. "First, you blatantly ignore me like you don't have common courtesy, then you call me na—"

He suddenly forgot what he was going to say. His anger instantly dissipated and his face relaxed into its natural expression. His arms slowly unfolded themselves and fell loosely at his sides.

"Would you prefer to stand outside like a wet dog?" The worker rolled his eyes and continued to flip through his binder. "Be grateful that I even let you in."

This time, Naruto didn't need to take a peek at his special card. He'd heard what was said loud and clear. That didn't stop his mind from going into mayhem at the realization. He knew what this meant. He knew exactly what this meant, but he hadn't been prepared.

"You look like a complete idiot," the worker muttered with a roll of his eyes.

The blond's phone rang in his pocket, snapping him out of his daze. He fumbled to get it out and a contact picture of Jiraiya stared back at him. He tapped to answer and brought the phone to his ear but didn't say 'hello', his gaze fixed on the boy in front of him.

"I'm outside, kid," Jiraiya told him. "You have some explaining to do."

Naruto nodded his head even though the Perv couldn't possibly see him. When the phone clicked to end, he didn't remove it from his ear.

"Shouldn't you be going now?"

Alive and in the flesh, standing but a few feet in front of Naruto was his soulmate. His fucking _soulmate_. A ball of anxiety exploded in his chest and a cold draft crept up his neck, and not because he was drenched in rainwater. Only Naruto seemed to be privy to the admission of the situation and it caused him to awkwardly laugh. To keep from crying. He tried to reach out to everything that Sakura schooled him on when it came to the card but he was too distracted. By one itty, bitty, little detail. He couldn't even make a comeback at the insults being thrown at him because for some reason, they didn't matter. This state of shock was unknown to him and he didn't know how to proceed. Only when his ringtone blared in his ear, was he once again knocked into sense by what was going on around him.

He turned around and took long strides to the door but didn't retreat before getting one last look at the worker. He would remember his face.

Jiraiya pulled him by the ear as they walked through his lofts doors. Naruto ungracefully footed his shoes off; Jiraiya wasn't giving him enough time, still pulling on his ear. "It hurts!" he whined but didn't dare try to remove the grip making the side of his head throb. Not if he didn't want his punishment to get worse. Jiraiya only disciplined him when it was necessary and made it clear that no matter how old or tall he got, he could still get an ass kicking.

The teen was pulled over to the sectional where the white-haired man released him and pushed him on the cushion. When he was in the car, Jiraiya was all smiles but, Naruto knew what was waiting for him once he got home.

"That makes this, what, the third time you've been out late?" Jiraiya scolded and put a hand on his hip. "You never disobey me like this Naruto and I'm really surprised. What the hell happened to your car?"

Naruto rubbed at his ear and poked his bottom lip out. He wasn't going to cry but Jiraiya could at least switch ears once in a while, or hell, he probably wouldn't mind the belt. Soon, he wouldn't have an ear to listen to the lectures with.

"You didn't give me a chance to explain," Naruto tried not to raise his voice, still being respectful to his parent. "I was in Starbucks, and my car got towed. It was a no standing sign that I didn't know was there."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at his son and leaned forward to notice a micro expression that would tell if he was lying.

"You don't drink coffee, Naruto," a small smile threatened to twitch at his lips.

Naruto had to be quick on his feet or that was his ass. "I can show you!"

He reached for the phone in his pockets and opened his messaging app. He scrolled through he and Sakura's threads to show Perv where he asked her to meet him at Starbucks. Of course, he only waved the phone in Jiraiya's face so he wouldn't get a good look at the time the messages were sent. "I just went back because I didn't want to be here by myself."

The half-lie and half-truth seemed to work because Jiraiya put his hands up in surrender. He didn't apologize because Jiraiya said, Naruto could've called him hours ago to pick him up. And that maybe they could've made it downtown in enough time to get the car out of the pound. He also went to explain that any fees are coming out of Naruto's pockets. "You want to stay out and be an adult then you can handle adult responsibilities," an evil grin plastered across Jiraiya's face and Naruto tried his best from huffing in disagreement.

After Jiraiya left, Naruto removed himself from all wet clothing and went to take a hot shower. Once washed and dressed in a matching pajama set (he had tons), he set an alarm on his phone and cocooned himself under his comforter.

He had a big day tomorrow.

* * *

A/N: Reviews are the bomb!


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